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Smartphone Application Processors - Cores, Integration, and Architecture Options

The smartphone application processor market has been heating up and will only become more competitive. Smartphones continue to become more powerful, and ARM-based application processors have kept pace with more powerful cores by shifting from single-core solutions to today’s 4.4 (big.LITTLE) processors, or octa-core processors. Newer designs are also using heterogeneous processing, leveraging the GPU.

Applications processor designs will increasingly be a part of integrated platforms, which are dominated by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon. While competition is heating up among ARM-based designs, pressure will increase from x86 and MIPS designs starting at the higher and lower ends of the market.

Table of Contents

  • 1. APPLICATION PROCESSOR COMPETITION ACROSS THREE FRONTS
  • 2. MULTICORE SOLUTIONS
    • 2.1. Ramp-up in Number of Cores
    • 2.2. Octo-core Processors
    • 2.3. A Precursor to Heterogeneous Processing
    • 2.4. Initial Heterogeneous Processing Available Commercially
    • 2.5. Design Choices around Type and Number of Cores
    • 2.6. Application Processor Forecasts by Cores
  • 3. INTEGRATED PLATFORMS
    • 3.1. Companies Offering Fully Integrated Platforms
    • 3.2. Companies Offering Modaps
    • 3.3. More Integrated Platforms with Wireless Connectivity
    • 3.4. Application Processor Forecasts by Integration Level
  • 4. ARCHITECTURE
    • 4.1. Old and New Product Targets for Architectures
    • 4.2. Intel Brings Increased Competition
    • 4.3. Application Processor Forecasts by Architecture
  • 5. CONCLUSION

Charts

  1. Smartphone Application Processor Revenue, World Market, Forecast: 2012 to 2018
  2. Smartphone Application Processor Shipments by Number of Cores, World Market, Forecast: 2012 to 2018
  3. Smartphone Application Processor Shipments by Integration Level, World Market, Forecast: 2012 to 2018
  4. Smartphone Application Processor Shipments by Architecture, World Market, Forecast: 2012 to 2018
  5. Smartphone Application Processor Shipments by Architecture, World Market, Forecast: 2012 to 2018

Figures

  1. Processor Architectures, Simple Competition in the Past
  2. Processor Architectures, More Complex Competition Going Forward
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Research Information

Price
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Publish Date
3Q 2013
Code
AN-1438
Research Type
Technology Analysis Report
Pages
14